1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel vaporization device for use with an internal combustion engine to enhance engine performance and minimize fuel consumption. More particularly, the invention pertains to an auxiliary heating unit through which liquid fuel is passed in heat exchanging relationship with radiator fluid to vaporize the fuel prior to admission into a carburetor or fuel injector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is generally known in the art that preheating gasoline and other liquid fuels prior to carburetion or injection in an engine of a motorized vehicle can significantly improve engine operation and reduce exhaust pollutants. Also, since less energy is used to heat liquid fuels to vaporization temperatures in the combustion chamber of the engine, preheating promotes greater combustion efficiency and fuel economy. The prior art has provided various devices to preheat the fuel before combustion through the use of the heated medium from the coolant system, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,647 to Deshaies. This patent discloses a fuel preheater in which fuel passes through a spiral coil within a cylindrical tank adapted to be filled with radiator heating fluid. The disclosed device further includes a cooling air tube extending through the center of the spiral coil so as to equalize the temperature between the coil spires in order to prevent overheating of the fuel. However, it is appears that this patented heat exchanger is of the type that very complicated in construction and would be subject to malfunction due to temperature distribution problems associated with vaporization and condensation of the fuel. It is a particular disadvantage of this construction that the fuel does not remain in a vaporized state and condensation may occur on the interior walls of the conduit leading to the carburetor. Examples of other prior art devices which attempt to improve vaporization by preheating liquid fuels utilizing a heat exchanging mechanism of the aforementioned type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,110,296 to Lundi; 4,003,356 to Naylor; 4,326,491 to Burchett and 4,858,584 to Bridgeman. Although such devices may improve fuel economy to some extent, they lack the benefits of the present invention.